Three were killed and well over 100 were injured when two deafening explosions shook the iconic Boston Marathon Tuesday afternoon as runners crossed the finish line.

The Patriots Day attack that took the life of an 8-year-old boy will now be tallied onto the calendar of tragic days in American history and looked at as a reminder of the dangerous world around our seemingly tightened homeland security.

Reassuringly, few terror plots have been successfully carried out since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

Roughly 16 known plans for mass murder on the streets of New York City have been avoided in post-9/11 New York, most recently including “The Brothers Plot,” where two Pakistani-born brothers were arrested in November 2012 for planning attacks on Wall Street, Times Square and numerous movie theaters.

In October of 2012, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi man on a student visa was arrested for his attempts to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan.

In a little over 12 years, foiled plots to spread destruction through our train systems, airports, stock market and synagogues time and time have been taken for granted.

And now, in response, nerves are end for Tuesday’s Emancipation Day in Washington D.C.; police in London prepare for the London Marathon on Sunday; and New York City and Los Angeles police are on heightened security watches.

While it is still unknown whether the most recent attack was from an organized international organization or a from a lone attacker, our nonfigurative enemy of terrorism has once again resurfaced, reminding us of the chaotic world we are still very much a part.

It is time the language and concept of terrorism changes once and for all, and we recognize the constant fight to prevent these attacks in the modern world.

Whether it is from international and local threats, this is not a war, but a constant frontline battle fought by our police, homeland security, mothers, fathers, politicians and media.

We can never forget the disheartening destruction, but we can also take solace in the prevented threats that could have cost much more.